


Anyone But Me

by actuallyronanlynch



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Internalized Biphobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-25 14:48:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7536985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/actuallyronanlynch/pseuds/actuallyronanlynch





	Anyone But Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is heavily, heavily inspired by [jay_pronounced_gay](http://archiveofourown.org/users/jay_pronounced_gay), so please go check out his work. He's really awesome and writes amazing SV fanfic!
> 
> Please also note that I will be using the term football throughout this fic instead of the canon gridball, and that the beginning of this fic starts a year before the farmer moves to Pelican Town, which is when Elliott first moves to town himself.

Alex often felt like he had peaked in high school. He missed his teenage years more than anything most days, craving the routine of going to class and staying late after school for football and soccer practices. He had been out of high school for three years, and still ached for the familiarity of the routine of his adolescence. 

Most of the time, Alex was just  _bored_. He didn't have a job (there wasn't a large selection of jobs in Pelican Town to begin with), and he lived with his grandparents, giving him a grand total of zero things he had going for him. He used ninety-four percent of his energy on sports-related activities, and the other six percent evenly divided among playing video games and spending time with his best friend, Haley. He knew she wished they were still in high school, too, and he figured that was partially why they were so close.

Taking a deep breath in, Alex pushed himself a little harder as he jogged along the paved path that wove its way throughout Pelican Town, pulling himself out of his thoughts to make sure he didn't run into any passersby as he pressed on. Every morning (except on Saturdays) at seven thirty, Alex would grab his running shoes and jog for around an hour, sometimes going slightly longer if he was feeling especially ambitious. Routine was a part of Alex's life; one that he didn't intend to get rid of any time soon.

He neared the small bridge that stretched over the river and led to the beach, and decided to take a small detour down to the waterfront. Though it was still too cold to go swimming, the seashore was absolutely stunning in the springtime, and Alex and Haley spent a good deal of time hanging out together by the ocean.

He slowed his pace to a walk as his feet landed on sand, not wanting to risk twisting his ankle on the uneven ground. The soft breeze off of the water blew his hair back from his face slightly, cooling him down after forty-five minutes of jogging. He took the opportunity to stretch out his limbs slightly, making sure they wouldn't lock up on the way back home. The early morning sun was reflecting prettily off of the water as waves slowly rolled in the direction of the shore, and Alex found himself watching them distractedly as he stretched. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings; the stretch of powdery sand that formed the shore, the labyrinth of docks where Willy's fishing shop was located, and the abandoned cabin by the entrance to the beach. The early hours of the morning before the townsfolk were out and about were Alex's favourite time to go down to the beach and be alone with his thoughts.

Sighing, Alex decided that it was about time he headed back home, starting in the direction of town as he picked his pace back up to a jog. It didn't take him long to get home, and by the time he reached his grandparents' cottage, he was pleasantly tired.

He headed straight to the bathroom and took a quick shower, returning to his room to put on a pair of fresh clothes when he was done. He gracelessly flopped onto his bed after he had changed, grabbing his phone off of his night stand and unlocking it to check his messages.

>  From: Haley
> 
> 8:54am
> 
> You should come over. I'm making your favourite breakfaaast~
> 
>  
> 
> To: Haley
> 
> 9:01am
> 
> What would I do without you?
> 
>  
> 
> From: Haley
> 
> 9:02am
> 
> Probably starve. Now hurry up before I eat it all!!!! >:)

Smiling, Alex pocketed his phone and reluctantly rolled out of bed, grabbing his jacket and sliding it on before leaving his room.

Evelyn was, as always, preparing her morning tea, and Alex leaned over her small frame to press a kiss against her cheek as he entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, grandma,"

"Good morning, dear. Did you have a good run?"

Alex nodded, leaning back against the counter as Evelyn waited for the kettle to boil. "I stopped by the beach for a little while. It's beautiful this time of year."

"That it is," Evelyn smiled, standing on her tiptoes to retrieve a teacup from its place in the cabinet. "I should take your grandfather down some time this week. He's in desperate need of some fresh air."

"Harvey would probably approve of that," Alex chuckled, briefly glancing at the clock on the wall above the stove. "I'm just gonna stop by Haley's for breakfast, but I'll be back later in the day!"

"No rush, dear. Say hi to Haley and Emily for me, would you?"

"Will do! Seeya later!" Alex called as he headed for the door, shutting it behind him and starting in the direction of Haley's house.

 

\---

 

"You know what's weird that Emily told me?" Haley said, and Alex looked up mid-bite before stuffing the forkful of hashbrowns into his mouth anyway.

"Wha'?" he attempted, swallowing before trying again. "What?"

"A new guy moved into town," Haley informed him, leaning across the table like she was divulging confidential information.

"Actually?" Alex said in disbelief, taking another bite of breakfast.

"Yeah, he moved into that old cabin down at the beach last night."

"You're shitting me. I was down at the beach this morning and the cabin looked as abandoned as always," Alex protested, shooting Haley a skeptical look.

"No, I swear! Emily heard it from Gus who heard it from Marnie who heard it from Lewis!" she insisted, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Are you sure that's a trustworthy source of information?"

"Don't be an ass," Haley whined, an irritated pout accentuating her naturally pouty lips. 

"No one has moved into this town so unannounced, like, ever," Alex retorted, still doubting the credibility of the news. 

"That's why it's so strange! I swear, I'm telling the truth," Haley insisted, and Alex sighed in defeat.

"Fine, I'll bite. So what if a random guy moves here in the middle of the night?"

"You don't find it the  _least_ bit intriguing?" she pressed. Alex shrugged, not wanting to give a definite answer. Haley rolled her eyes, but continued anyway. "I think we should go down to the beach today and see if we can find him. Introduce ourselves or whatever."

"You're not gonna stop bothering me about this until I give in, are you?"

"Glad we've come to an agreement," Haley chirped, flashing a grin as Alex held back a groan, stuffing more food into his mouth so he wouldn't have to continue the conversation.

 

\---

 

After messing around on the computer and hanging out in Haley's room for a few hours, the pair decided to finally head down to the beach to see if they would encounter the town's newest resident. Haley was excited and curious, while Alex was starting to seriously regret agreeing to her plan in the first place.

"You realise we're going to look extremely sketchy, right?" Alex said, following along after Haley reluctantly as they crossed the bridge that led to the beach.

"Oh, no we won't," Haley replied, clucking her tongue disapprovingly. "Just don't be a weirdo."

The beach was as calm as it had been earlier, though the midday sun made it slightly warmer than it had been in the early hours of the morning. Alex watched as Haley glanced around before making her way across the sand, casually wandering along the shore as she looked out at the water. Alex followed, grimacing as he felt sand slipping into his running shoes.

"See, there's a light on in the cabin," Haley pointed out, nodding in the direction of the previously-abandoned cottage.

"Okay, so now what? We wait around outside like creeps?"

"Oh my god, Alex. You're really bad at this, aren't you?" Haley chuckled, running a hand through her long, blonde hair. "Just act natural. It's not as if we don't usually come down to the beach at this time, anyway,"

Alex sighed softly, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "Yeah, you're right."

"I know. I'm always right," Haley reminded him, which, to be fair, was quite accurate.

They walked along the shore together for a while, Haley collecting small shells while Alex tossed stones into the ocean. Moments like those were some of his favourites; just spending time relaxing with Haley, not going out of their way to do anything in particular. He had been friends with Haley for as long as he could remember, and their friendship had always been notably carefree. They never had to put in an extensive amount of effort to enjoy spending time with one another, and were simply pleased with company from one another.

Suddenly, Alex was pulled from his thoughts as Haley sharply jabbed her elbow into his side, and he let out a noise of pain and protest as he tried to move away from the assailing appendage.

"Looklooklook," she hissed, latching onto Alex's arm in excitement. "He's coming out of the cabin!"

Sure enough, as Alex glanced over in the direction of the previously-abandoned cottage, a man with long, golden hair and sea green eyes slowly emerged from the cabin, taking a visibly deep breath of air as he gazed out at the ocean. He then promptly noticed the two young adults lingering awkwardly on the beach.

Haley began to wave immediately as she noticed he was looking at them, and he waved back with a polite, but rightly wary, smile on his lips. 

"Come on," she murmured, grabbing Alex by the wrist and beginning to drag him in the direction of the man. 

"Haley—"

"Hiya!" Haley trilled as they approached the man, mustering the sweetest, most non-threatening smile she could manage. She could be entirely compelling when she wanted to be.

"Hello," the man replied, his voice a smooth baritone. He didn't seem affronted by their approach, but he did seem awfully curious about them.

"I'm Haley," she said, extending her hand delicately for him to shake. He took it in his and kissed it instead. Blushing slightly, she continued, "We heard that you had just moved into town and figured it would be the cordial thing to do to come and introduce ourselves."

"It is very amiable of you, Haley," he said, a charming smile teasing the edges of his lips. "I'm Elliott."

"Pleased to meet you, Elliott," she said, and then turned to look at Alex expectantly.

"Oh, I'm Alex," he introduced with a broad grin, slipping easily into his usual sanguine tone. "Welcome to Pelican Town!" He and Elliott shook hands, and he silently noted the firmness of the other man's grasp.

"So, what brings you to town, if you don't mind my asking?" Haley inquired, ever-innocent and saccharine.

Elliott sighed delicately, and it strangely reminded Alex of the sound of the breeze that danced off the ocean in the late hours of the evening. "A change of scenery, I suppose. I'm not disappointed in the slightest. It seems to be a beautiful little town, and I haven't even gotten around to visiting all of it yet," he mused, humming softly. "Speaking of, I was just about to run into town to grab a few supplies from the general store. You'll have to excuse me for being so rude and cutting our conversation off so prematurely."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, really," Haley insisted. "We'll continue another time. I hope you find everything you need at Pierre's! He's a real sweetheart."

"I'm sure I won't have any issues. You two have a nice day, I'm sure I'll see you again soon," Elliott said, smiling again before heading off towards the beach's entrance.

"Bye-bye, now!" Haley called, waving, and Alex joined in a touch too late. "Holy  _shit_ ," she breathed when Elliott was out of earshot.

"He's prettier than half the girls we went to high school with," Alex said in disbelief, cupping a hand over the back of his neck as he glanced at the entrance to the beach where Elliott had disappeared.

Haley laughed gleefully, tilting her head back to look up at the near-artificially blue sky overhead. Alex couldn't help but smile along, breathing in deeply and tasting salt on the ocean air.

"Nothing interesting has happened to this town in ages," Haley said, twirling slightly so her skirt fluttered in the breeze. "I hope that Elliott might be _something interesting_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I'm writing this, I 100% picture Alex and Elliott [like this](http://stardew-valley.tumblr.com/post/141377950557/manueapinny-guys-of-stardew-valley-dont). Just thought you guys should know, lol.


End file.
